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Comments
i also sat in a new optima (and an 06 sonata) and both felt like they had way more leg room than the 06 sedona.
I guess your wife didn't test drive the GC? FYI - the DC vans have power pedals as cheap single options or bundled options in all their vans. They work great for us (me 6'0, wife 5'1)
I was not aware of the height fact--thanks for the tidbit. Where did you find the one about the mini van driver demographics? I drove one for 3 years myself. Even if my wife were the primary driver of the van, I would be the driver on trips and occasional errands, so I would not buy a van I could not fit into.
Again, I am not bashing the Sedona. It's a good looking van full of good features and apparently very safe. I hope Kia sells 200,000 of them a year. I'm glad you enjoy yours!
Sienna 42.9
Sedona 41.7
Quest 41.7
Odyssey 40.8
Grand Caravan 40.6
Head room in the Sedona is also very good. Front headroom, without sunroof:
Sienna 42.0
Quest 42.0
Sedona 41.0
Odyssey 40.9
Not sure on the Grand Caravan, although head room with sunroof is 39.6
The Sienna is obviously best on leg and head room but, IMO, they are just too proud of their vehicles. You can get very good leg and head room for thousands less with the Kia and Hyundai.
I think it was because of the angle I had the seat bottom to the floor. I probably had the front of the seat raised up (as opposed to the rear) so there is more support under the thighs which means your legs are not going to be straight (your knees will be slightly up and your legs not as long as if extended straight).
This to me is comfortable and I can be slightly closer to the steering wheel so that I'm not driving "straight armed" but not too close to get a good whack in case the air bag went off.
I adjusted the seat in my 93 Mazda 929 tonight to see what difference it made (a flat seat angle). My legs were ALMOST straight even with the seat adjusted all the way back and I'm 5'11" with a 30" pant length (short legged).
Adjusting the back of the seat makes a difference as well
which affects how far you are from the steering wheel and how much head room you have (especially in cars that are much lower than a van).
I'm sure most of you are just as picky as I am regarding the seat position.
Don't the 2006 seats have the crank on the side? I was going to look at them this weekend.
Thanks
terk819
http://www.informedforlife.org/
And a way lot cheaper than the Acura RL.
I am in Canada and was also wondering what the dealer interest rates will be for next month.
Thanks to all and keep the posts coming on this great site.
If you don't mind my asking, where did you purchase your 06 Sedona? We own an 02 and are thinking of upgrading this fall. We live in central Iowa and are hoping to find a good deal.
Thanks so much!
What was you purchase price BEFORE adding sales tax and government license taxes?
And what was the invoice price for your van? Was it about 85% to 90% of the MSRP? How did you determine the invoice price?
What rebates or incentives were included to arrive at your purchase price?
Did you have a trade-in? If so, what year/make/model/mileage/condition was it? How much was allowed for your trade-in?
The numbers would make your post more meaningful to us.
Thanks.
Kia Sedona: Prices Paid & Buying Experience
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I was satisfied with the deal, and it seems typical. Although I would have liked the $2,000 owner's loyalty.
Old time tires would do that at 20-30 below winter temps but that had better not be a problem in a new van. I WOULD suspect the problem in the Kia notice. George
Keith
It is everything all of the other posters have said. Handles very car-like with good turning radius, good power, quiet engine except on hard acceleration, quiet cabin, terrific front headroom (I'm 6'4" with taller upper torso), acceptable leg room for me (but I can see how some might feel a little cramped), great features and layout of control knobs and buttons. No suprises that changed my opinion that either the Sedona or the Entourage will be our next vehicle purchase.
kathy
One more thing, you can always add after-market leather in the future. From what I remember with the 06 Sedona, after-market leather will most likely be nicer anyway.
Yes, you'll need to get past any stigma associated with the Kia name. Kia is climbing the ladder just like Honda and Audi did years ago and gaining respect as their cars improve. We checked out the Honda and Toyota entries and the Kia just seemed to do everything as well and in some cases better. The handling of the Kia is certainly up there with the Honda, perhaps a hair better. Power is excellent. This van is probably faster than it needs to be. I've read 0-60 reports of 7.1 and 7.3 seconds and even prior to break-in the van feels very quick. Build quality appears to be quite good with nice fit and finish.
Our fully loaded example has power sliding doors and a power rear hatch. If you have kids these come in really handy and are fun to show off as well. The doors will sense an obstruction and open if need be. They can also be operated manually. Locks prevent a child from opening them from inside.
Inside you get a full leather interior in gray or beige. Go with the gray as it will wear better. Front seats are 8 way and 4 way power. The driver's seat is a bit short on legroom for taller drivers. I'm 6.3 and would like another inch or two. There's no reason for a seat to be short on legroom on a large van. Passenger and rear seats have a LOT of room. Even the split bench fully aft is pretty good and the middle seats will also slide forward making this true 7 passenger vehicle. Make no mistake about it; this is a pretty luxurious interior by any standard. We found the Honda a bit more stark, but the Odyssey and Sienna are equally plush when fully loaded.
The rear seats tuck away into a storage well, but the procedure is a bit awkward and could use some refinement. Overall it works okay. When the seats are out the well is a great place combined with the cargo net, but some sort of retractable cover would really be nice to hide gear.
The loaded EX also comes with a killer Infinity stereo/DVD rear seat entertainment system. I know it's a cliche to refer to a sound system in a car as "killer" but you really need to hear the 13 speaker system in action to realize how much better it is than any other. The top of the line Honda and Toyota don't even come close. The flip down DVD screen is a mere 8 inches. I consider that size adequate, but others are larger. On the other hand, unlike the larger screens, the Kia's doesn't block as much of the rearview mirror so it's a better tradeoff for safety. The system also has IR remote control and IR fed headphones that work well and very comfortable. Popping in a copy of Star Wars III I was treated to true 7.1 Surround sound. The center channel is mounted in the middle of the dash, a bit away for the rear seats, but it works very well. The picture quality is typical for these systems, but many people will hear sound that is superior to their home systems. There is depth, clear highs and fairly impressive midrange that surprised me and I'm someone who's owned stereo systems costing 9K. It's that good. On the other hand, you can question the logic of such an elaborate system in a car. A lesser system like the ones from Toyota or Honda are still "just fine." But as long as Kia is giving them away, I'll keep mine!
On the port side of the cabin are jacks for plugging in a camcorder, or X-Box type game system. Amazingly Kia neglected a Ipod/Sat. radio jack up front and you'll need to correct that at your local stereo shop for aftermarket help. Also missing at this luxury level is integrated navigation/GPS, but expect that on the next year's model. Buy a Garmin I5 and you'll do just fine.
Unlike many other vans on the market, the large middle windows actually roll down! This is a very welcome feature to say the least. The rear windows also wing out with the press of a button. 2nd road passengers no longer have that bus window feeling.
The 3rd road is less comfortable than the 2nd of course. These are seats that fold down into the floor and the only seats to do so on board. Kia's research showed that most people never stowed or removed the second row, so they left those as fully comfortable chairs with armrests. The 3rd row, because it's stows in the floor, is inherently less comfortable, but they really aren't bad at all. 3rd row passengers get cup-holders, a small storage bin and the inputs for video game consoles.
Each row of seats has port and starboard AC/Heat vents and the second row has it's own dedicated controls for temp and fan speed. Shotgun gets dual AC/Heat controls so the driver and passenger don't compromise and heated seats with 5 way settings. Very nice.
There are really too many little extras in vans of this size and luxury level to list here. The fully loaded Kia Sedona for 2006 also gets memory seats/mirror/pedal, homelink controls for the garage, backup proximity sensor, power sunroof, 2 way adjustable headrests, fold away snack tray, and quite a bit more.
Back to Driving the Sedona....it is not quite like a car, but close enough that an hour or two of driving will have you pretty well acclimated. Acceleration is strong at almost all points of the powerband due to a healthy amount of torque. On the highway the ride is quiet and subdued. Wind noise is well controlled. I'm certain that the new Sedona is quieter than my Subaru Tribeca and that's quieter than a Lexus RX330. At cruising speeds above averages that most people would drive this van, the Sedona remains composed. Fast lane changes are not a problem, but steeper turns produce a bit more body roll than I'd like. There are moments when the Sedona will remind you that it's actually a 2 ton plus van and not a car. You must learn when those moments are likely to come up.
For the driver all of the controls are well laid out and we've come to expect this from most imports compared to the often terrible American made entries. Kia has essentially hit the nail on the head with the new Sedona for drivers, passengers and of course kids. When our two year old has a toy crisis, my wife can get to the 2nd row and take charge with ease. This is something our SUV could not do.
Parking the Sedona is something that will take practice if this is your first minivan. This is not a small van and the driver is well up front. Still, exhibit some confidence when you park and use the aft proximity sensor. When reversing it beeps faster and faster as you approach an obstacle. When it becomes a steady tone you're about 15 inches away. It works great.
Because I've not broken the engine in I can't report on the MPG yet.
If you have a small child, a fully loaded 2006 Sedona EX will make for a lot of smiles. I believe that the Honda and Toyota are also fine vans and you really can't go wrong with them either. I don't like ANY of the American entries or the Nissan Quest for whatever that's worth.
The warranty on the Sedona is 5 years overall and 10 for the engine/powertrain. That's good news so long as i
The warranty on the Sedona is 5 years overall and 10 for the engine/powertrain. That's good news so long as it doesn't have too many problems. Trips for dealer service are never any fun free or not. Only time will tell how well constructed Kia's first entry in maxed out minivan segment really is.
With Kia's current rebates and some aggressive shopping we got our fully loaded EX for $27'950. That included the 1000 rebate and a graduate rebate of 400 dollars as well. That's an amazing price when you look at a Sienna optioned out the same way which is around 5-6K more. Kia also threw in two years worth of free oil changes, free remote starter and a second remote for the DVD player. In a few months I'll update this and let folks know what "new car bugs" turned up (There are always a few) and how Kia service dealt with them here in NY. Cheers!
Capt RB
FiberKids
I'm sure Kia would be thrilled to hear a B9 Tribeca owner bought their new Sedona. You've gotta be the type of upscale customer they are targeting.
P.S. The key blank isn't particularly cheap, either.
RB
2006 Sedona
I'm still researching it... :confuse:
BTW, mine sounds terrific and I'm a long time audiophile.
Capt. RB
NY
Usually these heat up the wiper blades so they can function better. At least that's how they work on the Subaru models. The switch will light up and that's all you'll see. A modest amount of heat to the blades is effective. I'm fairly certain that this is the operation on the Sedona as well.
Capt. RB
NY
Also, is there any caveats I need to look out in deciding to purchase this minivan?
Good luck,
Capt. RB
True, but a) most minivan drivers are (still?) married. That means perhaps 20% of the potential market is neglected because the track is too short, a less than $10 solution.
I drove one the other day, and it's going to break my wife's heart to tell her I just can't fit into it.
I just drove to PA and back from New York (220 miles) and had 250 miles on the car when we left. We averaged 23.5 MPG with speeds between 75-85 MPH. Car is astonishingly comfortable. This is a fully loaded EX with AC running and 3 people in the car. So far so good.
Capt RB
NY
I purchased my 2006 Kia Sedona EX Luxury package three weeks ago. I, too, am in Canada - Alberta, exactly.
The stock AM/FM/CD player is standard with this model - only the Americans can benefit from the premium, Infinity sound system and the DVD player within the Luxury Package. I am not sure why. Two things: 1) the "stock radio" is fine (although I do envy the system in the American model), it plays and sounds very good, even at high volumes, but I am no audiophile. The one thing that does upset me is that the salesman convinced me that this deck could play MP3's - THIS IS NOT THE CASE! - it will play CD format only, but I have yet to try CD-R/W. 2) the one good thing the salesman did do was to steer me away from the DVD player. His thinking, and I agree, was do not purchase the optional DVD player with the van - purchase an after market system for far less. The optional DVD player is $1100. I purchased two independent systems that mount to the headrests at my local Canadian Tire for a third of that price. I now have two very happy kids. The only downside to this would be that I would recommend removing/hiding them when parked at a mall or when leaving your van unattended. Food for thought.
As far a fair purchase price is concerned, I believe I did all right. I paid $38500 for mine which includes all taxes, fees, and GST (no PST in Alberta) - no surprises. I did not have a trade-in.
Only two things so far that I question. First, I have noticed that once the vehicle is at speed and you remove your foot from the gas pedal (without touching the brake) it seems to have drag and does not coast very well - could be just getting used to driving a van again. Second, it idles very high, 2100 rpm, when starting it cold - don't know why.
As I said, I have had my van for just over three weeks now, 1100 kilometres, and I am very happy with it. Good luck with your purchase and let us know how you make out.
I am an audiophile and I can safely say this is one of the best systems around without requiring aftermarket additions. This system is very much worth the wait...if it's coming at all.
Good luck,
Capt. RB
Capt RB